City ​​of Witches 814

Chapter 814 – #170_Amelia’S Dream

#808

1.
“Siwoo, Siwoo!”

Amelia was bustling about.
She had visited the Gemini mansion from the morning, searching for Siwoo.

The maids were, of course, startled to see the usually composed Amelia running down the hallway, loudly calling her lover’s name.

Around that time, Siwoo, who had woken up from a peaceful dream thanks to the Red Branch, was in a state of confusion.

He had emerged onto a dark forest path and seen a pig smiling brightly.
He had also confirmed the sight of his lovers sleeping comfortably inside the protective barrier.
Checking the compass-cum-watch attached to his backpack, he had confirmed that only a few seconds had passed in real time.

Naturally, he had expected to return to the real world as is, but instead, he was suddenly in a bedroom in the Gemini mansion.

However, there was no need to remain in a state of bewilderment.

After all, one strike from the Red Branch would surely end this dream…

“Huh?”

The Red Branch was gone.
It wasn’t entirely unusual.

Magic that possessed a certain level of power had a self-restoration property, trying not to collapse.
There was a possibility that when a homunculus cast magic and sensed signs of it breaking, it would automatically prepare for it.

The Red Branch, having broken out of the magic on its own, would have been the number one target for elimination.

But Siwoo had a way to deal with this.

He had already had the experience of bringing the external Red Branch into the mental world when he had undergone the ‘Trial’ in the Kingdom of R’lyeh.
Even across space.

In fact, the ‘outside’ Siwoo should currently be holding the Red Branch.
The difficulty level was incomparably lower than back then.

All he had to do was manifest the spear here again and tear through space.

-Bang!

“Siwoo…!”

His thoughts were briefly interrupted by Amelia, who suddenly burst through the door.

She, who always maintained her composure, was showing an extremely rare gesture of stomping her feet in place.

Indeed, Amelia!
She’s cute even in a dream!

“Amelia, perhaps we should talk outside…?”

However, the moment he looked at her, Siwoo felt another sense of incongruity.
She felt subtly different from the Amelia he had seen in the dream earlier.

It was hard to explain exactly, but it felt like her colors were more vivid, somehow?

That sense of incongruity became even clearer the moment Amelia, who possessed an unimaginable beauty, grabbed his sleeve.

He could be certain.
This was, indeed, a dream.

But the subject of the dream was not Siwoo.
The Amelia here was not a lie or an illusion, but the real her.

So, it wasn’t a reconstruction after breaking out of the dream, but rather, he had been incorporated into Amelia’s dream, having floated into it together?

“Siwoo! That’s not important right now! Something important has happened!”

Having roughly grasped the situation, Siwoo tried to calmly soothe Amelia.

Although only a very short time had passed in reality, it was impossible to guarantee that nothing would happen after that.

“Amelia.”

He needed to get out of here first.
Because this was all a dream.
That’s what he needed to say.

But the moment Amelia opened her mouth with a joyful expression, one of the happiest he had ever seen, Siwoo couldn’t bring himself to say those words.

“My teacher… My teacher has returned!”

2.
According to Yebin, the Soul Witch was of the 19th level.

On the other hand, Siwoo and his group were all Great Witches or higher.
Their autonomous defense was also very solid, and even Siwoo, who initially lacked innate autonomous defense, had received the ‘Guardian’s Contract’ from Eloa.

Also, considering that time in the dream flowed extremely slowly compared to real time, it was unlikely that they would be in immediate danger, assuming no other witch was interfering.

So, wouldn’t it be better to indulge in Amelia’s happy dream rather than dragging her out, even if it meant taking a few seconds of risk?

Siwoo, who had been dragged all the way to Flora’s Tailor Shop in Ars Magna Town, was pondering this as he was being fitted for a new suit.

Just as Siwoo had introduced his lovers to his parents in the dream, Amelia felt the same way.
She wanted to dress him up as nicely as possible and show him off.

Come to think of it, this was where Amelia was still an assistant professor and Siwoo was a caretaker.
This was where she had first had Siwoo’s suit made.

Lost in a new wave of emotion, as soon as he entered the shop, Flora said, “See? I knew you two were lovers,” and smirked.

Anyway, while Amelia was giving Flora perfume as a service and getting the suit made, Amelia kept talking to Siwoo.

“I can’t believe my teacher has returned.”
“I really wanted you to meet her.”
“I’m so happy… What should I do? I feel like I could fly away. If I happen to fly away, please catch me, Siwoo.”

Amelia, who couldn’t stay still for a moment, like twins who had received the most anticipated gift in the world…
This was a level of high tension he had never seen before.

He unconsciously wore a fatherly smile at the sight, but his face soon darkened.

After all, this was a dream.
An ephemeral illusion that would disappear once he woke up.

Siwoo chose to accept the truth and move forward.

But could Amelia do the same?
Especially since she didn’t seem to feel any sense of incongruity, unlike Siwoo?
Wouldn’t it be better to tell her the truth, even if it was a bit harsh, rather than giving her false hope?

“Siwoo?”
“Yes.”
“Are you nervous?”

It seemed his worries had shown on his face.

“It’s okay, my teacher is a really good person. And if it’s you, I’m sure my teacher will be happy too. You’re a very wonderful and kind person, Siwoo.”

Siwoo, who had looked into her childhood during the process of saving her, knew.

He knew what kind of existence her teacher was to Amelia.
What kind of farewell she had faced.
How Amelia had accepted that farewell.
And even how precious this reunion was to her.

“Siwoo… Are you really okay? Is there a problem?”

He had been constantly reminding himself to manage his expression, but he ended up hearing a second concern from Amelia.

Even while worrying about Siwoo, Amelia looked so happy.
That’s why his heart ached.

“If it’s too much for you… Should we postpone it? My teacher will understand.”
“No, it’s not that.”

He swallowed.
It was because he thought his voice would sound hoarse if he continued speaking.

“Amelia, just hypothetically speaking. Just hypothetically.”
“Yes, Siwoo.”
“……”

Should he use the example of the pills from the Matrix?

No, that wouldn’t work either.
Amelia was more sensitive than a possum when it came to Siwoo’s emotions and changes in his feelings, even if she didn’t notice other problems.

The moment he gave her a clue, she might understand the situation regardless of his intentions.

In the end, the choices narrowed down to two again.

One, to play along with the dream so that Amelia could be happy, even if just a little.
Two, to help her face the truth of the lucid dream, just as Siwoo had done.

It was certain that she would have to wake up someday anyway.
She couldn’t stay in here forever.

Then, wouldn’t it be better to choose the latter…?

“Siwoo.”

Amelia’s slender fingers intertwined with Siwoo’s.

A hand clasp, squeezing reassuringly.
It was something Siwoo often did when Amelia was feeling anxious.

“I don’t know what’s going on. But I trust you, Siwoo.”

In fact, Amelia’s lines in the series of interactions were somewhat out of place.
She still didn’t seem to have noticed the truth at all.

But her eyes were reflecting Siwoo directly, like a calm pond without ripples.

“Do as you wish, Siwoo. I will follow you.”

That was a connection that only lovers could achieve.
A blind trust and intuition that transcended reason and wisdom.

“Yes, I understand.”

His head, which had been full of worries, cleared up.

If she were to be sad later when she found out the truth, he would stay by her side until she overcame that sadness.
Even if he were to hear her resentment for not telling her sooner, he would fully accept that resentment.

Instead, for now, he would trust her as she had trusted him, and give her a short but precious memory.

That’s what he decided.

3.
The cabin in the gulph tree forest where the younger Siwoo and Amelia had spent time together.
Siwoo and Amelia waited in front of the door, each with a tense expression.

“Amelia, do I look okay?”
“You look fine, Siwoo. You always look wonderful.”

They checked their clothes and ties one last time before entering.

He had roughly guessed from seeing the smoke coming out of the chimney, but it smelled good.

The sweet smell of sugar, the tingling scent of cinnamon, and the pungent aroma of coffee were mixed together, making this cabin look like a cozy mountain cafe.

“Teacher, we’re here.”
“Oh my…! Already?”

There was a sound of dishes clattering from the kitchen, followed by the sound of hurried movements.

She came running out wearing a headscarf and an apron, looking exactly like the image Siwoo had seen in Amelia’s memories.
A kind and benevolent face with a mischievous smile.

The color of her eyes and hair was the same as Amelia’s.

“Welcome, is your name Shin Siwoo?”

Even though her cheeks were covered in flour and she was smiling brightly, her greeting sounded refined and aristocratic.

“Yes, I am Shin Siwoo. Please call me comfortably.”
“Hehe, shall I, son-in-law?”

It was a very warm welcome, but he flinched at the word ‘son-in-law.’
It seemed that the countless times he had been kicked in the shin by his mother-in-law, Albireo, had created a conditioned reflex.

“It’s 1 o’clock now. Isn’t it a good time to have tea and chat together?”

She put aside her baking for a moment and, still wearing her apron, invited them to the table in the living room.
A place where he would be evaluated as a son-in-law in front of her, who was like Amelia’s mother.

Siwoo sat stiffly, feeling like he was attending an interview.
He understood why Amelia had been so nervous when she had come to see Siwoo’s parents earlier.

The Malika Merigold in front of him now was, sadly, a fictional being.
However, just like Siwoo’s parents, she had been created from Amelia’s mind, and she was more real than anything.

Malika, who had adamantly refused Siwoo’s offer to help, brought out the tea and sat down like a solemn interviewer.

“Now then, shall we hear what kind of person our son-in-law is?”

Siwoo, as well as Amelia sitting next to him, felt their bodies stiffen with tension.